This chapter includes three subchapters: “Feedback Loop from Hell,” “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” and “So Mark, What the F*ck Is the Point of This Book, Anyway?” Manson begins with an anecdote, a technique that he uses often in the book. This one is about writer Charles Bukowski, a man with a less-than-stellar reputation for alcoholism, misogyny, and an abrasive personality. Bukowski was down-and-out for much of his adult life but persisted in honing his skills as a writer. Eventually, he got a break and pretty much threw caution to the wind to pursue a career as a writer. It worked for him, and his work became influential after his death, something that Bukowski probably couldn’t have imagined. Manson uses Bukowski’s story to introduce the main thesis of the book, an exploration of how to practice the art of not giving a f*ck.

Chapter 1 contains three subchapters and, in addition to laying out the groundwork for the rest of the book, makes it clear that the F-word will have a prominent place throughout. The word appears copiously in this chapter, as do other swear words. The first subchapter, “Feedback Loop from Hell,” describes how we engage in inadvertent self-sabotage.